Outer space might be the final frontier – but there are many more frontiers lurking in our imagination. Check out 12 3D Jam games that let you escape (several!) exploding space stations, fight rival AIs, craft futuristic swords in virtual reality, and more.

In a distant future, scattered across time and space, semi-digitized human beings fight for the last vital resource – processing power. C0NFL1CT is a turn-based virtual reality game prototype that adds a new dimension to classic chess-like gameplay, including new tactical possibilities.

According to creator Bertz (@cbrpnkrd), its “monochrome art style bears reference to industrial design, machine vision, and the works of Tsutomu Nihei. C0NFL1CT features a natural movement locomotion system that did not induce motion sickness and lets the player move in any direction, while requiring only 4 square meters of free space and the Oculus Rift DK2 headset.”

Bertz is a Russian computer science student at the University of Helsinki dedicated to VR/AR, cyberpunk, and rock’n’roll. You can check out his work on his blog and 3D printer Shapeways shop.

An intense sci-fi version of Simon Says, Equator Hights throws you into deep space, where you must single-handedly rescue your mission by destroying your space station.

“It’s the first Oculus Rift game that lets you space walk outside unprotected from deep space!” says creator Mike Hibbert, who’s been developing software for over 24 years in an alphabet soup of languages. He’s most well-known for his YouTube channel, which offers over 13 hours of free tutorials in Python and Django development.

Do you like space, dancing, and saving the human race from extinction? In this universe, dance is the ultimate source of renewable energy, and your hands are in the groove. “I was working in the world of software engineering for over a decade when I realized that all I ever wanted to do was make games,” says creator Carleton Di Leo (@PixelshotGames). “I decided it was time to quit my full time job and start Pixelshot Games.”

Writing about his 3D Jam development experience on Gamasutra, he says that working with the absence of tactile feedback was an interesting challenge. “I decided to have the player follow instructions with their hands, swiping up/down/left/right, based on a screen inside the VR world. The result felt more natural because the interaction was a 1-to-1 match.”

Interns in SPAAACE is a cooperative multiplayer game where you must work together to prevent your space station from exploding by preventing resources from falling to zero. One player is the Astronaut, who navigates around the space station and can repair modules based on the Operator’s instructions. The Operator can see which modules are broken and where the station resources lie.

Take control of your ship’s arsenal with your bare hands! Mobius is a fast-paced retro arcade game where you shoot down enemies at lightning speed. Rack up epic high scores with consecutive kills and dodge incoming attacks.

One of the world’s most ancient and revered professions has been reimagined with Smitheerens – a virtual reality blacksmithing game. Dive into an extraordinarily interactive sci-fi world, complete with buttons, levers, hammers, sanders and laser cutters.

“You’re given a rich environment brimming with details, and a game which presents both its world and instructions to you in a way that takes full advantage of virtual reality,” says long-time game modder Kevin Brock, best known for his work in the Elder Scrolls series.

“I’ll be honest, this was the first time I’d ever had exposure to the Leap Motion Controller. I was a complete novice starting out. After tweaking the settings a bit, what surprised me the most was the robustness of it. I was worried that I couldn’t put in many of the features I wanted to, but it accommodated a lot of the more unusual designs I had planned, which was very nice.”

Kevin recently made the transition into full-time game design, and Smithereens is actually a spinoff of a larger sci-fi RPG currently under development – dubbed Nanosteam.

Our love of exploding space stations continues! In zero gravity, walking is pretty much impossible. SPACEHIKER: A Zero-G Adventure puts you in the spacesuit of an astronaut trying to escape a dying space station. Push and pull yourself through the environment before the station is destroyed.

SPACEHIKER is the creation of Portland, OR indie game developer Matthew Cheifetz (@matteumayo). “I’ve always loved gaming, game design, and game development, and I am thrilled to be here taking part in the dawn of virtual reality. I’m currently 100% devoted to VR, and I plan on releasing numerous VR games and experiences in the coming months.”

Your spaceship has been severely damaged, and the clock is ticking! Repair your ship in this fast-paced puzzle game by replacing broken parts within 90 seconds, or your ship will… explode! Spaceship Repair was created by a team of students from the Abertay University in Dundee, Scotland.

“We first decided to take part because we wanted more game development experience coming away from university, as we all graduate (hopefully!) at the end of this year. We’re all pleased with how the game turned out – sure, it wasn’t exactly the game we set out to make (we were hoping to build with VR), but nevertheless we’re all proud of it.”

A mix of old-school gaming (think Tempest and Space Invaders) and cutting-edge controls, Spiders of Mars is an endless shooter where you square off against an ever-increasing horde of robot spiders. Blast them away with nerves of steel and quick reflexes!

“With modern tools, you can make a moderately polished piece of entertainment in an extremely short time,” says Dustin Adair (@scaryrobotgames). He completed Spiders of Mars in only 8 days. A mobile developer, Dustin has also worked as a character animator in Hollywood for the last 15 years. He’s animated Cylons, Terminators, Transformers, the Flash, and even Halo’s Master Chief.

Neither snow nor rain… nor firewall nor deadly computer viruses? You are the Courier, a digital “paperboy” who delivers content to its destination. Grab hold of your digi-cycle to ride through the grid, solve firewall puzzles with hand gestures and data orbs, and take down dangerous viruses with your antiviral powers. No two missions are ever the same, as the grid, firewalls, and viruses are procedurally generated each time.

Like many indie developers, Thunder Egg Concepts (@thundereggco) is built on a lifelong love of games. “I started by dabbling in story, design, music, and art. But I didn’t know where to go from there. In college, I ended up studying electrical engineering. In the professional world, programming became a big part of my everyday life. In 2014, a friend of mine told me I should try a global game jam…. I jumped in without knowing anyone or anything about game development. Since then I’ve learned so much and continue to learn more.”

In 2035, artificial intelligences compete in a battle simulation known as TVRD to spur the next stage of digital evolution. When the battle begins, each AI is given a tower to stand on. Your goal is to eliminate competing AI by shooting their towers and getting them to fall off. You can also protect against attacks with force fields. The latest version includes online match mode, so you can prove your worth against fellow humans!

Soar among the stars and steer around asteroids in this experimental VR prototype, which uses the Leap Motion Controller facing upwards from your desk to create virtual Hands On Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) controls.